Dumping railway car



June 14, 1966 M. J. LINDSTROM DUMPING RAILWAY GAR Filed Feb. 16, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet l June 14, 1966 M. J. LINDSTROM DUMPING RAILWAY CAR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 16, 1962 June 14, 1966 M. .1. LINDSTROM DUMPING RAILWAY CAR 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 16, 1962 w w k June 14, 1966 M. J. LINDSTROM DUMPING RAILWAY CAR 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 16, 1962 1 QM R 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. L6, 1962 United States Patent 3,255,713 DUMPING RAILWAY CAR Morris J. Lindstrom, Phoenix, Ariz., assignor to Enterprise Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 173,784 7 Claims. (Cl. 105-244) This invention relates, generally, to the construction of railway cars and it has particular relation to gravity load discharging cars provided with a floor formed by oppositely swinging doors which, in closed position, meet adjacent the longitudinal center of the car and are arranged to open to a substantially vertical position for discharge of lading.

A particular object of the invention is to provide such a car having a pair of dumping doors operable from a single location with provision for motorized operation.

Further objects of the invention, among others, are: To provide a car construction having dumping mechanisms disposed at the ends of the doors and above the floor level to insure unobstructed discharge of lading between the car trucks; to provide winding linkage mechanisms for the doors which are located inwardly of the car side walls and for operating these mechanisms by means of rotatable shafts located outwardly of the car side walls; to provide chain and sprocket drives between the operating shafts located outwardly of the car side walls and the mechanisms spaced inwardly from these shafts; to operate conjointly shafts located outwardly of the respective car side walls; to provide a multiplying gear train incorporating Worm and gear transmissions for holding the doors in any adjusted position; and to provide winding linkage mechanisms having an intermediate link arrested in its winding movement to function as an extension of a rotatable hub arm.

The invention further resides in the novel construction employed to accommodate the door mechanisms above the floor of the car and in other details of construction such as will be pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan viewof a railway car construction in which the present invention is embodied, only portions of the end platforms of the car being shown.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken generally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and showing only portions of the end platforms of the car and one wheel of each pair of wheels of the respective end truck.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a view, at an enlarged scale, of one of the linkage mechanisms that is employed for controlling the movement of one of the doors, the mechanism being shown in a position corresponding to the door closed position.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6 and showing the bifurcated end of the connecting link.

FIG. 8 is a view, in side elevation and at an enlarged scale, of one of the hub arm members. 1

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the hub arm member shown in FIG. 8.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 2 of the drawings, it will be observed that the reference character 10* designates the top surface of a rail on which wheels 11-11 that form parts of end trucks for an ore car, shown generally at 12, are adapted to roll. It will be understood that each end truck includes two pairs of wheel and axle platforms are located.

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assemblies with overlying end platforms which are not shown in complete detail since such an illustration is not considered to be required for an understanding of the present invention. The ore car 12 is particularly arranged and adapted to handle lading, such as copper ore concentrate, which is finely divided. The ore car 12 is intended to have a load capacity of the order of tons and, consequently, it is arranged and constructed in order to readily and economically handle such a quantity of lading of the type desired.

The ore car 12 has a car body that is open at the top and bottom and is formed by side sills 13-13 which, as shown more clearly in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, extend longitudinally of the car. Each side sill 13 is fabricated from a pair of rolled channel members the flanges of which are positioned in abutting relation and longitudinally welded in order to form a construction having a rectangular cross section. Depending from the outer sides of the side sills 13-13 are L-shaped side members 13'-13' which extend for limited distances from the ends to overlie the portions of the car 12 where the end Interconnecting the side sills 13-13 are transverse members 14-14 which, as shown in FIG. 2, are of a construction similar to the construction of the side sills 13-13. It will be understood that the transverse members 14-14 are suitably welded at their ends to the juxtaposed inner sides of the side 'sills 13-13 so that a rigid frame structure is provided extending longitudinally and transversely of "the car 12.

The body of the ore car 12, as above pointed out, is open at the top and bottom and it is formed by side walls 15-15 which extend along the inner sides of the side sills 13-13. The side walls 15-15 are reinforced by vertically extending channel shaped side wall members 16. These reinforcing members 16 in suitable number are secured as by welding to the outer sides of the side walls 15-15. The car body is closed at the ends by end walls 17-17 which extend upwardly from the inner sides of the transverse members 14-14. They are reinforced by channel shaped transverse end wall members 18 which are shown more clearly in FIG. 2. The transverse reinforcing members 13 of suitable number are secured as by welding to the outer sides of the end walls 17-17. The construction just described, including the reinforced side walls 15-15 and end walls 17-17, provides a rectangular space for receiving the lading.

In order to close the bottom of the lading space provided by the side walls 15-15 and end walls 17-17 which are suitably secured together along their juxtaposed edges, bottom doors 19-19 are provided. The bottom doors 19-19 are relatively massive in construction. For illustrative purposes it is pointed out that each of them is four feet three and three-fourths inches wide and twenty feet long and each has a weight of the order of 5,000 pounds. The bottom doors 19-19 are hinged at 20-20, FIG. 2, to the undersides of the side sills 13-13. Hinge pins having a diameter of one and onehalf inches serve to support the bottom doors 19-19 on hinge butts, FIG. 2, which are suitably secured, as by welding, to the lower sides of the side sills 13-13. Preferably nine hinge butts 21 are provided for each bottom door 19.

In the closed position of the bottom doors 19-19 their upper surfaces 22-22, FIG. 3, form the bottom of the lading space. The bottom doors 19-19 have downt-urned distal edge portions 23-23 which are in mutual engagement along the longitudinal median of the ore car 12 and more particularly of the lading space defined by the side walls 15-15 and end walls 17-17.

In view of the relatively massive character of the bottom doors 19-19 and because it is desired that, when -where the door 19 is in the open position.

they are opened, the lading in the lading space be free to fiow downwardly without obstruction, special attention is required in the provision of the necessary operating mechanism. In addition consideration is given to the arrangement of the operating mechanism at such location that there is no interference with the movement of the bottom doors 19-19 between closed and opened positions.

With these various requirements in mind there will now be described the mechanism employed for operating the bottom doors 19-19 and for holding them securely in their closed positions. Referring particularly to FIGS. 2, 3 and 6 of the drawings, it will be observed that eyebolt brackets 26-26 are secured, as by welding, to the ends of the bottom doors 19-19 and that they extend endwise therefrom. There are two eyebolt brackets 26-26 for each door 19 and they are located adjacent their distal edges. Extending through each eyebolt bracket 26-26 for each door 19 are eyebolts 27-27, each being secured in place through the cooperation of a nut 28 and a jam nut 29. For illustrative purposes it is pointed out that the eyebolts 27-27 may have a diameter of three inches in order to be capable of transmitting the necessary stress incident to the operation of the bottom doors 19-19.

Since the linkage mechanism associated with each eyebolt bracket 26 is of identical construction, the description will proceed with reference to one of them, it being understood that it applies to all four linkage mechanisms. Pivotally connected to the eyebolt 27 at 30 by a pin having a diameter of the order of two inches, is a bifurcated end 31 of a connecting link 32. The intermediate portion of the connecting link 32 is offset to provide an intermediate shoulder 33 the purpose of which will be apparent presently. Pivotally connected at 34 to the other end of the connecting link 32 are a pair of fiat bar links 35. For this purpose a two inch diameter pin is employed and the fiat bar links 35 straddle the connecting link 32. At their other ends the flat bar links 35 straddle a flange 36 on a hub arm member 37 and they are pivotally connected to the flange 36 at 38 preferably by a two inch diameter pin. The hub arm member 37, as shown more clearly in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9, is provided with angularly related shoulders 39 and 40 which are provided for limiting the relative rotation of the respective fiat bar links 35 and the hub arm member 37. In particular the shoulders 39-39 serve to limit the rotation of the fiat bar links 35 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 6, when the linkage is in the position corresponding to the closed position of the respective door. The shoulders 40-40 limit the relative rotation of the flat bar links 35 with respect to the hub' arm member 37 when the linkage is in the extended position, as shown in FIG. 4, Preferably the shoulders 39 and 40 are disposed at an angle of 76 with respect to each other in order to provide the limiting movement of the flat bar links 35 with respect tothe hub arm member 37.

Each hub arm member 37 is fast on a linkage shaft 41 which has a square section. It will be understood that four linkage shafts 41 are provided, one for each end of each of the doors 19-19. As shown in FIG. 1 each shaft 41 is mounted on bushings 42, there being three in number which, in turn, are mounted on bearings 43 and 44, there being one bearing 43 which is mounted on the juxtaposed transverse member 14 and the other two bearings 44 being mounted on the end platform of the car 12.

It will be recalled that each connecting link 32 is provided with a transversely extending intermediate shoulder 33. As shown more clearly in FIGS. 6 and 9 of the drawings the shoulder 33 in the position of the linkage corresponding to the closed position of the door 19 is wrapped around the respective linkage shaft 41 with the intermediate shoulder 33 extending between side walls 45-45 of the respective hub arm member 37 and bearing against a juxtaposed side 46 of the linkage shaft 41 thereby providing one of the three locking features of the linkage to hold the respective door 19 in closed position. Another locking feature is provided through the reaction between the pair of flat bar links 35 and the adjacent shoulders 39. The third locking feature will be described presently.

Also fast on each of the link-age shafts 41 is a sprocket wheel 47 which, for illustrative purposes, is provided with twenty-four teeth. A chain 48 is trained over each sprocket wheel 47 and also over a corresponding sprocket Wheel 49, preferably having six teeth, which is fast on a side shaft 50 that has a square cross section. As shown in FIG. 1 there are two side shafts 50 and they are mounted outwardly of the respective side walls 15-15. Suitable bushings 51 are provided for the side shafts 50 for mounting them in bearings 52 which are suitably mounted on the side walls 15-15. Preferably there are five bushings 51 and five bearings 52 for each shaft 50. The side shafts 50 extend lengthwise of the car 12 and beyond the end walls 1717 where they carry the sprocket wheels 49 as shown.

At the right end of eachof the side shafts 50, as viewed in FIG. 1, there is provided a worm wheel 53 which is shown by 'broken lines in this figure and also in FIG. 3. Each worm Wheel 53 is rotatably mounted with its side shaft 51 in a housing 54 that is suitably mounted on the car 12 and within which there is provided a worm gear 55, also shown by broken lines. It wvill be understood that the worm wheels 53 and worm gears 55 are of right and left configuration to the end that the worm gears 55 can be mounted for rotation with the ends of a transverse shaft 56 of square cross section which extends from one side to the other of the car '12 outwardly of one of the end walls 17 and overlying one of the end platforms. Intermediate the ends of the transverse shaft 56 there is a gear wheel 57 which is non-rotatably mounted and in driving engagement therewith is a pinion '58 on a drive shaft 59 of a prime mover in the form of a reversible air motor 60 which is mounted on a suitable support 61 on the car 12. -It will be understood that other motor means can be employed but, for convenience, compressed air is employed and the reversible motor 60 is of a type to accommodate this source of energy. Connection to the reversible air motor 60 is provided by air lines 62-62 which extend from a control valve 63 mounted on the car 12. A supply line 64 serves to provide for connection to a suitable source of compressed air which can be connected to the control valve 63 when the car 12 is spotted in the unloading position. If desired, a storage tank of compressed air can be carried by the car 12 for operating the motor 60 without requiring that there be a connection to a separate source independent of the car 12. It will be understood that the control valve 63 is of conventional construction and that it can be operated to one position for causing the air motor 60 to rotate in one direction and that the control valve 63 can be-operated to another position to cause the air motor 60 to operate in the opposite direction. Intermediate these positions the control valve 63 is an off position where no air pressure is supplied for operating the motor 60.

When the bottom doors 19-19 are in the closed position as shown in FIG. 3 with the respective linkages wrapped around the respective linkage'shaft 41, as shown more clearly in FIG. 6, a line 65 extending between-the pivot 30 on the eyebolt 37 and the pivot 34 at the opposite end of the connecting link 32 is located to one side or in overcenter relation to the axis 66 of rotation of the respective linkage shaft 41. During the final stage of the closing movement of the bottom doors 19-19 in wrapping the respective linkage around the respective linkage shaft 41, the line 65 interconnecting the pivots 30 and 34 moves past the axis 66 of rotation and in this overcenter or toggle locked position there is provided a third locking feature for each linkage. It will be recalled that another locking feature is provided by the reaction of the intermediate shoulder 33 against the adjacent side 46 of the linkage shaft 41 and that still another locking feature is provided by the fiat bar links bearing against the shoulder 39. These three locking features for each of the linkages insures that the bottom doors 1919 will be held in the fully closed positions as shown in FIG. 3 where they are required to withstand the entire weight of the lading within the car body of the ore car 12.

FIG. 4 shows the open position of one of the bottom doors 19 by broken lines. Here it will be observed that the hub arm member 37, fiat bar links 35 and con necting link 32 are generally in endwis-e alignment with an acute angle A between a line interconnecting the axis of the pivot 21? of the door 19 and the pivot 39 and a line interconnecting the axis 66 of the linkage shaft 41 and the pivot 39. Although it is a relatively unfavorable angle for the application of force to close the door '19, it will be seen that this angle increases rapidly as the hub arm member 37 is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, in wrapping the linkage around the respective linkage shaft 41 to close the door 19. Such wrapping around of the linkage is effected by operating the air motor 69 in a direction to rotate the shaft 41, FIG. 4, in a clockwise direction while the linkage shaft ill on the other side of the car and associated with the other door 19 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3.

Since the drive to the side shafts 5119- is through the worm wheels 53-53 and worm gears 5555, the arrangement is such that the doors 19 are held in any position between the fully open and the fully closed position when the air motor is not energized. On energization of the air motor 60 the doors 19l9 are simultaneously operated to or from the closed position as the case may be. The arrangement is such that the doors 1919 can be operated from the fully closed position to the fully open position in a period of the order of one minute and forty seconds and a like time is required for closing them.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a gravity discharge car including:

(a) a body defined by side and end walls mounted on the car chassis and a bottom composedof opposite- 1y swinging doors hingedly mounted on the lower edges of said side walls and swingable to a substantially vertical open position;

(b) means for raising and lowering the doors and supporting the doors in closed position including a pair of linkage mechanisms for each door with each linkage mechanism having one end secured to one of a series of four independent stub shafts mounted on the chassis outwardly of said end walls with said stub shafts being disposed adjacent opposite ends of said doors, said stub shafts being rotatable about axes parallel with the hinge axes of the doors, and with the other end of each linkage mechanism being pivotally connected to the end of the door adjacent thereto;

(0) means for rotating said stub shafts including a pair of operating shafts rotatably mounted along and outwardly of said vertical side walls above said lower edges thereof and extending beyond said end Walls;

(d) means between the ends of each operating shaft and its respective stub shaft; and

(e) means interconnecting the operating shafts at one end thereof for conjoint operation of said operating shafts and linkage mechanisms from one central location.

2. In combination, a gravity discharge car including:

(a) a body defined by vertical side and end walls mounted on the car chassis and a bottom composed of a pair of oppositely swinging unitary doors hingedly mounted adjacent the lower edges of said side walls and movable to a substantially vertical pendant open position;

(b) means for raising and supporting the doors in closed position including rotatable linkage mechanisms mounted on the chassis outwardly of said end walls at the opposite ends of each door for rotation about fixed axes parallel with the axes of swinging movement of the doors and with each linkage mechanism being pivotally connected to the end of the door adjacent thereto;

(c) means for rotating said linkage mechanisms including operating shafts juxtaposed along and outwardly of said vertical side walls above said lower edges thereof and extending beyond said end walls;

(d) driving connections between the opposite ends of said operating shafts and the respective linkage mechanisms mounted on the chassis with said driving connections being disposed outwardly of said end walls; and

(e) means for conjointly rotating said operating shafts including a worm and gear transmission on each shaft and a rotatable transverse shaft extending between and connecting said worm and gear trans- 11118810118.

3. The invention, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said driving connections between said operating shafts and said linkage mechanisms are provided by sprockets having link chains trained thereover and wherein the rotatable transverse shaft extending between and connecting the worm and gear transmissions has a gear Wheel nonrotatably mounted thereon and in driving engagement with a pinion driven by a prime mover.

4. The invention, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said swinging unitary doors when in their substantially vertical pendant open positions are wholly disposed outwardly of the inner surface of said vertical side walls of said car body.

5. In a railway car construction, in combination with a chassis,

(a) lengthwise extending vertical side walls and transversely extending vertical end walls mounted on the chassis and together forming a car body,

(b) a pair of lengthwise extending unitary doors with their distal edges juxtaposed along the lengthwise median of said car body and underlying said side and end walls to form in closed position the bottom of said car body,

(c) hinge means along the lower portion of each vertical side wall for suporpting one side of each door to swing downwardly to a substantially vertical open position and permit discharge from said car body,

(d) a side shaft journaled on the outer side of each of said vertical side walls above said hinge means and extending beyond said vertical end walls,

(e) a pair of coaxial linkage shafts individual to each side shaft and rotatably mounted on the chassis outwardly of said end walls on the same side of said median as the respective side shaft,

(f) driving means operatively interconnecting each side shaft where it extends beyond said end walls and the respective linkage shaft whereby on rotation of each side shaft the linkage shafts individual thereto are rotated conjointly, I

(g) pivotally interconnected links interconnectig each linkage shaft and the respective end of the door individual thereto adjacent the distal edge thereof,

(h) said interconnected links being in extended relation when the respective door is open and wrapped around the respective linkage shaft on rotation thereof to close the respective door,

(i) and means for conjointly rotating said side shafts in one direction or the other to open or close said doors as the case may be.

6. In a railway car construction, in combination with a chassis,

(a) lengthwise extending vertical side walls and transversely extending vertical end Walls mounted on the chassis and together forming a car body,

(b) a pair of lengthwise extending unitary doors with their distal edges juxtaposed along the lengthwise median of said car body and underlying said side and end walls to form in closed position the bottom of said car body,

' (c) hinge means along the lower portion of each vertical side wall for supporting one side of each door to swing downwardly to a substantially vertical open position and permit discharge from said car body,

(d) a side shaft journaled on the outer side of each of said vertical side walls above said hinge means and extending beyond said vertical end walls,

(e) a pair of sprockets fast on each side shaft where the same extends beyond said end walls,

(f) a pair of coaxial linkage shafts individual to each side shaft and rotatable mounted on the chassis outwardly of said end walls respectively and on the same side of said median as the respective side shaft,

(g) a sprocket on each linkage shaft aligned with the sprocket on the adjacent side shaft,

(h) a chain trained over each aligned pair of sprockets,

(i) pivotally interconnected links interconnecting each linkage shaft and the respective end of the door individual thereto adjacent the distal edge thereof,

(j) said interconnected links being in extended relation when the respective door is open and wrapped around the respective linkage shaft on rotation thereof to close the respective door,

(k) and means for conjointly rotating said side shafts in one direction or the other to open or close said doors as the case may be.

7. In a railway car construction, in combination with a chassis,

(a) lengthwise extending side walls and transversely extending end walls mounted on the chassis an vtogether forming a car body,

(b) a pair of lengthwise extending doors with their distal edges juxtaposed along the lengthwise median of said car body and underlying said side and end walls to form in closed position the bottom of said car body,

(c) hinge means along the lower portion of each side wall for supporting one side of each door to swing downwardly to a substantially vertical open position and permit discharge from said car body,

(d) a side shaft journaled on the outer side of each of said side walls above said hinge means and extending beyond said end walls,

(e) a pair of sprockets fast on each side shaft where the same extends beyond said end Walls,

(f) a pair of coaxial linkage shafts individual to each side shaft and rotatably mounted on the chassis outwardly of said end walls respectively and on the same side of said median as the respective side shaft,

(g) a sprocket on each linkage shaft aligned with the sprocket on the adjacent side shaft,

(11) a chain trained over each aligned pair of sprockets,

(i) a hub arm fast on each linkage shaft having a link at one end pivotally connected thereto at a location radially spaced from the axis of rotation of its linkage shaft,

(j) a connecting link pivotally connected at one end to the other end of each link and at the other end pivotally connected to the respective end of the door individual thereto adjacent the distal edge thereof;

(k) each hub arm, link and connecting link in endwisc extended relation interconnecting the respective end of the respective door in open position and on rotation of the respective linkage shafts in a direction corresponding to the direction of upward swinging movement of the door being wrapped around the linkage shafts in closing the respective door;

(1) and means for conjointly rotating said side shafts in one direction or the other to open or close said doors as the case may be.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 722,299 3/1903 Hansen 105-250 933,452 9/1909 Hoover et al 105-250 1,317,775 10/1919 Campbell 105299 1,415,097 5/1922 Kassler 105290 X 1,418,907 6/1922 Campbell 105299 1,632,574 6/1927 Yanney 105250 X 1,685,089 9/1928 Kassler 105311 1,876,003 9/1932 Hart 105-250 2,888,884 6/1959 Fritz 105-250 v FOREIGN PATENTS 11,873 1903 Great Britain.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

LEO QUACKENBUSH, Examiner.

H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A GRAVITY DISCHARGE CAR INCLUDING: (A) A BODY DEFINED BY SIDE AND END WALLS MOUNTED ON THE CAR CHASSIS AND A BOTTOM COMPOSED OF OPPOSITELY SWINGING DOORS HINGEDLY MOUNTED ON THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND SWINGABLE TO A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL OPEN POSITION; (B) MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE DOORS AND SUPPORTING THE DOORS IN CLOSED POSITION INCLUDING A PAIR OF LINKAGE MECHANISMS FOR EACH DOOR WITH EACH LINKAGE MECHANISM HAVING ONE END SECURED TO ONE OF A SERIES OF FOUR INDEPENDENT STUB SHAFTS MOUNTED ON THE CHASSIS OUTWARDLY OF SAID END WALLS WITH SAID STUB SHAFTS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID DOORS, SAID STUB SHAFTS BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT AXES PARALLEL WITH THE HINGE AXES OF THE DOORS, AND WITH THE OTHER END OF EACH LINKAGE MECHANISM BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE END OF THE DOOR ADJACENT THERETO; (C) MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID STUB SHAFTS INCLUDING A PAIR OF OPERATING SHAFTS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ALONG AND OUTWARDLY OF SAID VERTICAL SIDE WALLS ABOVE SAID LOWER EDGES THEREOF AND EXTENDING BEYOND SAID END WALLS; (D) MEANS BETWEEN THE ENDS OF EACH OPERATING SHAFT AND ITS RESPECTIVE STUB SHAFT; ABD (E) MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE OPERATING SHAFTS AT ONE END THEREOF FOR CONJOINT OPERATION OF SAID OPERATING SHAFTS AND LINKAGE MECHANISMS FROM ONE CENTRAL LOCATION. 